New Blood
by CookieMonsta226
Summary: Rosalinda Esmeralda Karina Lauritzen, or Patience as her friends call her was just a normal laid back tomboy who had good grades and an abusive foster mother. That was until she was marked unusually and that's about when everything goes downhill, follow her and Zoey Redbird in this exciting adventure.
1. Chapter 1

Rosalinda Esmeralda Karina Lauritzen, or Patience as her friends call her, stared at the big oval wishing that she could be there instead if in front of Jack Star, the schools most popular guy, who was stuttering like an idiot trying to ask her out.

"Look Jack, you're a nice guy an all but I'm not looking for a relationship at the moment, sorry," Jack's shoulders slumped and a defeated look crossed his face.

"That's okay Patience, thanks for putting me down easy instead of saying a flat put no," Patience smiled and pat his shoulder and let out a painful dry cough, she had been a bit under the weather the whole day.

"You'll find the right girl someday," she kept her smile until an overwhelming feeling to cough overtook her and she collapsed in a fit of wet coughs like she had earlier that morning. Jack held into her shoulders, concern written all over his face. Suddenly a figure stepped in front of the two.

"Rosalinda Lauritzen! Night has chosen thee; thy death will be thy birth. Night calls to thee; hearken to Her sweet voice. Your destiny awaits you at the House of Night!" the tracker lifter one pale finger and pointed at Patience whose head suddenly exploded with blinding white hot pain. Suddenly her vision was covered in white. Jack held onto Patience until the pain settled and her vision was clear. Jack stopped breathing and onlookers gasped in shock. Patience had been marked, and there on her forehead was the outline of a blue crescent moon contrasting well with her olive skin. Patience's blue green eyes opened in shock to see Jack staring at her forehead.

"I need to go," she mumbled tiredly and pulled out of Jack's embrace. She stumbled slightly but quickly righted herself and walked towards the school, walking as if she were on auto pilot. Slowly she walked towards the girls toilets, students basically parting like the red sea for her. She stumbled into the girls toilets and immediately looked to the right where the mirrors were. A gasp escaped her lips as she looked at her reflection in the mirror horror flashing through her eyes. There in the middle of her forehead was the outline of a blue crescent moon. She rubbed her forehead in case it was makeup and someone was playing a cruel joke on her but it didn't come off.

She then studied her appearance, her blue-green eyes were still the same if not darker and her usually tan skin looked a few shades paler than usual and her brown hair looked slightly darker, her pink lips stayed the same, other than those her appearance was still the same.

_Now all I have to do is go to the House of Night without dying on the way_, she thought with a wet cough and a wry smile. She shrugged and walked out of the bathroom facing the stares head on like her usual confident self and gave a smirk to the shocked students who would gasp at her newly accounted mark. Once outside Patience quickly ran to the safety of her motorbike and flew out of the parking lot while making sure she didn't hit any students passing by.

Patience kept on fidgeting with her fingers at the thought of being one of the so called vampyres that she had read so heavily about, that and what her foster parents would say. Let's just say they weren't the best people to talk about vampyres with, especially since their religious and part of the People of Faith which is an active Christian group who believe that God is above all and that Vampirism is caused by misbehaviour. Which basically means they hate vampyres. She parked her Harley Davidson 2011 Iron 883 just outside of her house er…Mansion and quickly rushed towards the front door which would usually feel like a two minute walk had she not still been coughing her lungs up good thing her coughs had ceased when she started driving or she would have been a dead woman.

Once she finally managed to approach the door she rang the doorbell which echoed through the huge house. Her foster mother opened the door with a huge perky smile on her porcelain face but it quickly melted when she caught sight of her mark which was now a stunning florescent blue against her skin. Her foster mother Sally Lauritzen ushered her in quickly scanning outside for any onlookers that had caught sight of her foster daughter's but found none thank the lord. Once Patience was inside she made herself comfortable on the couch waiting for the hour long lecture that her foster mother was bound to give her and giver her she did. One thing you should know about Sally Lauritzen is that if just one little thing didn't go her way her world would end, not literally of course but to her, her perfect world would come crumbling down so she would try to fix it and these were one of those times.

"…If you were responsible like a normal child this wouldn't have happened! Are you listening to me?!" Patience's body jumped as her foster mother's voice drifted through her ears and the end of her rant was all she heard. She nodded her head quickly trying to wake up her sleepy mind while also answering her foster mother's question. "See! Right there, if you had listened you wouldn't be in this situation!" Her high pitched voice became hysterical as she yelled at her daughter who was trying to calm the dizziness down. She nodded quietly and got up from the cream coloured couch.

"Where do you think you're going?" Sally asked with her hands on her hips.

"I need to pack so I can go to the House of Night," Patience explained with her words slurring slightly.

"You are not going to that place, I'm putting my foot down on this, I refuse to believe that my only daughter is one of them or will be one of them, you are staying here and that's final!" Patience wanted to scream in frustration at her mother but held back and put on a tight smile while talking to her in a deathly scary voice.

"Get it through your thick skull, if I don't go to the House of Night I will die! Did you get that? I will die and I honestly couldn't care less what you want 'cause these past sixteen years all you've done is want things from me and I'm tired of what you want, for once I want something and that is to live so don't try and tell me that you're going to stop me and don't give me bullshit about saving me from the orphanage because we both know the only reason you adopted me was because of the money the government would give you for being an 'oh so wonderful and generous person'!" Sally looked shocked at her foster daughter's outburst but the shock quickly faded and anger replaced it. She slapped her daughter.

"Get up to your room, you're grounded for two months, the People of Faith will be here soon to purify you so dress nicely," Patience stared at Sally with shock evident clear on her face. It had been barely a year when the beatings had stopped but something told her they were about to start if she didn't leave and fast. Patience quickly walked downstairs into the basement which was her room and started packing. She pulled out her phone and quickly typed a text to her Aunt who lived a few hours from there.

**I've decided to take you up on that offer, it's started again  
**  
**I'll be there soon**

With that Patience grabbed as many clothes as she could and stuffed them in her backpack. She grabbed her phone that she put on her nightstand and put it in her jean shorts pocket while also grabbing a hoodie. She put the backpack on her back and opened up the small window that lead to the front of the house and slowly slipped though while making sure to close it afterwards. It's sad how sucky the security system was which she knew first hand as she had snuck out many times to hang out with her friends without her foster parents even knowing. Quickly Patience dashed across the yard and towards the end of the yard which led to a small four foot fence that was around the whole mansion.

Patience easily jumped over the small fence and ran towards the direction where her motorbike was. She sighed in relief as she started up her bike with no problems; it was as if the bike knew she needed to get away before she was 'purified'. She shivered at the thought and bolted down the street where it was safe and she would be away from her 'mother'.

The sun was just starting to set when Patience came around the corner of her favourite aunt's house. That's when she lost control of her bike. The sudden pressure on her chest told her that a cough needed to be released but she couldn't, but it did release and the sudden movement that her body made jerked her bike towards the other lane where a '69 Chevy Impala was driving. The bike crashed into the car and the owner stared shocked at the girl who he had hit. He quickly rushed out of the car and kneeled at the girl's side.

"I'm so sorry, but I can't go to jail again," he said quickly and rushed back to his car and drove off. Patience stared at the car with bleary eyes as it drove off leaving her bleeding in the road. She tried to regain feeling in her arm which was successful but very painful at the same time. She reached into her pocket and speed dialled her aunt.

"Help, car crash, down street, your," she managed to say before black dots appeared before her eyes and a smiling woman was all she could see.

"Wake up my child," a feminine voice called to Patience. She opened her eyes to see a beautiful woman smiling at her like before. Patience stared at her shocked beyond words.

"Who are you? Am I dead" She asked in a croaky voice. The woman chuckled and pushed Patience's brown hair behind her ear.

"You mortals may know me as Nyx and no, my child you are most certainly not dead, just comatose for the moment," questions and concern filled Patience's eyes. "You were hit by a car and lost a lot of blood, for most normal people you would have been dead but it's a good thing you're a fledgling otherwise you would be dead, your body is at the House of Night," Patience nodded in understanding. "If I'm dead then why am I here?" She asked with curiosity laced in her voice. The woman's blue-green eyes brightened with obvious laughter, the wind brushed her long dark brown hair revealing tattoos on her shoulders and down her neck.

"You are special Patience, in more than one way but I can only tell you one of them, you will find out the others later on, sooner than later, you understand our race more than any vampyres or humans can and I chose you so you can show your understanding to both races so they can both co-exist with each other instead of having deep hatred for one another," once again Patience nodded understandingly. Nyx smiled at her proudly. "I must bid you goodbye but not for long, I will see you soon my child," with that Nyx kissed Patience's forehead where her mark was which made it burn and the sudden sensation of falling overwhelmed her until suddenly she was no longer asleep.

Patience gasped loudly and jumped out of the comfy bed that her body had been laying on just seconds ago. An audible gasp was heard from her left which made her head swivel toward the direction of the sound, it was her aunt.

"Oh my god!" Patience exclaimed and pulled her aunt in a bone crushing hug. Elizabeth Lauritzen smiled into the hug and pulled her niece impossibly closer.

"I've missed you Red," Elizabeth said using the nickname that she had given her niece when she found her covered head to toe in red paint at age five. Patience grinned and stared at her aunt's magnificent bright blue eyes that looked nothing like Sally's. Unlike Sally she had electric blue eyes with long midnight dark hair and tan skin while Sally had short white blonde hair with boring green eyes and pale skin. She always thought of Elizabeth as more of a mother figure than Sally and had always told her that. Someone clearing their throat made Elizabeth and Patience to jump apart. A beautiful woman with long red hair and green eyes stared at Patience's forehead where her mark was.

"I suggest you look into the mirror Miss Lauritzen," the woman suggested and handed her a compact mirror. Patience gasped as she stare at the now coloured in mark.

_So that's what Nyx was doing when she kissed my mark she was showing my 'uniqueness' in many different ways already_. She thought with an inner eye roll. She then stared at the woman who was now putting the mirror on the table. Something tells me she's up to no good, no matter what I'm going to find out what.

"Anyway, I am Neferet, the high priestess and the earpiece to Nyx, I think I should show you your room so you can rest up," Patience nodded politely but inside she was glaring at the woman. She's lying; she most likely doesn't even hear Nyx especially with those evil plans in her head. But nonetheless she followed Neferet to the girls' dormitories, passing fledglings who stared at her mark. Well isn't this peachy, she thought sarcastically, well at least the guys are cute, with that thought she smirked and skipped next to her aunt who was in deep conversation with Neferet.


	2. Chapter 2

"Rosalinda, this is Aphrodite, you will be her roommate," Patience nodded and just before Neferet left she grabbed her shoulder.

"I'm changing my name to Patience," she said simply and switched her gaze to Aphrodite who had her eyebrows raised.

"Okay, well I guess I'll show you to our room," Aphrodite said and motioned for her to follow only to be stopped by a group of four girls and one guy.

"What are you doing to the poor girl Aphrodite?" The boy asked Aphrodite. She glared at him and then the rest of the group.

"I'm showing her to her room, Neferet's orders," the girl with short curly blonde stepped forward and held her hand out.

"I'm Stevie-Rae, what's your name?" She said with an Okie accent. Patience shook Stevie-Rae's hand and introduced herself.

"This is Zoey, Damien, Shaunee and Erin but we call them the twins since they act like twins," Patience nodded in understanding, she and her friend Alicia had been like twins. Come to think of it Alicia had been marked about a month before Patience.

"Do any of you know a girl named Angel?" She asked thinking about the nickname that her and her friends had given her since she acted anything but an angel that's also how she got the nickname Patience since she was so impatient.

"Yeah, she came here about a month ago, she's in the room next to ours, I'll show you," with that Erin grabbed her arm and brought her to a blue door with music blasting from it. Patience knocked on the door and within seconds it was opened to reveal a girl with extremely long light brown hair and blue eyes, an outline of a blue crescent moon in the middle of her forehead.

"Angel?" Patience asked breathlessly staring at the girl with wide eyes.

"Patience? Is that you?" She replied. Patience nodded slowly not letting her eyes leave the girl in front of her. Suddenly she was pulled into a tight hug by her un-biological twin. She turned around to see Erin and the rest staring at the two girls with raised eyebrows.

"Guys, this is my twin Angel Abott," Patience said with a grin on her face. To people who didn't know the two they would've thought that the girls were twins with their freakish similarities and the fact that they practically know what the other was thinking it's quite shocking that the girls were born into different families. Aphrodite sighed in annoyance.

"Great, another set of geek twins," with that she strutted off with a hair flip. Patience shrugged not even mad, she was finally with her best friend and nothing was going to change that.


	3. Chapter 3

It had been a week since Patience had entered the House of Night and she was already popular what with her filled in mark but she still stayed with Zoey and her group and she was practically inseparable with Angel she had also met Zoey's boyfriend Erik Night who, in her opinion, seemed like a pretty good bur but in the twin's opinion he is and I quote _fiiiiiine_. Patience had laughed at the twins but secretly agreed, who wouldn't what with his dashing good looks, average height - maybe a bit on the taller side - with semi-curly black hair, blue eyes, sorta resembles Superman, which just so happened to be Patience's favourite superhero.

"I vote for Harry Potter." Patience said as the group were picking a movie to watch. Angel agreed with her since they both enjoyed the Harry Potter movies. In fact they loved it so much they could quote both books and the movies without reading or watching any of them. The others agreed and put Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in. Halfway through the movie Patience fell asleep on Angel's shoulder and Angel fell asleep on Damien's should whose head was laying on the back of the couch snoring softly. Stevie-Rae looked at the three and smiled softly while thinking,

"Too cute," she then pulled out a camera and snapped a few pictures of them before waking them up, telling them to go to bed. Deciding that since she was now wide awake Patience went outside for some fresh air even though it was daylight it felt refreshing when she was outside, almost like she was supposed to be outside in the daylight then inside where it was dark, she always did prefer day to night even when she was marked instead of feeling weakened the Zoey said she felt stronger than ever.

_Guess I'm just really weird_. She thought while climbing a tree her converse scraping against the decaying bark in some places, she looked down at her outfit and realized that it was the same outfit that she wore when she was first marked. She smiled fondly at the memory and looked up staring directly at the sun lighting up her features making her seem more angelic as her blue and green eyes shined and her dark brown hair became lighter and a soft glow protruding from her skin, it was definitely a sight to see.

At that exact moment someone decided it was late enough and was about to close their curtains when they noticed Patience. They stared mesmerised by the girl as she stared at the clear blue sky with a small smile on her face, her beautiful eyes showing pure bliss in that moment. The person stared for a few more seconds before shaking their head and closing their curtain. Even though they couldn't see Patience anymore he could tell she was still in that exact spot still smiling but with her beautiful eyes closed content with where she was and that image stuck in their mind as they went to sleep


	4. Chapter 4

"Hey Z do you know if there's and rooms to dance in here?" Patience asked as her and Zoey walked to the stables.

"I think so, you should probably ask Angel since she's been here longer than me," Zoey said as they opened the stables door to reveal Lenobia stroking a horse's mane. She began a speech which Patience immediately zoned out but came back to reality when Zoey nudged her towards a black horse. She gave Zoey a confused look until she said, "We have to clean the stalls," Patience nodded ad put her feet into a pair of boots and began cleaning the manure, and putting fresh hay in the stall all within ten minutes.

While everyone was still cleaning their stalls Patience grabbed a brush and began brushing her horse that let out a snort of content every time she got a spot that the horse liked. Lenobia entered the stables quietly to check up on the students and was shocked at the sight before her. Patience brushing the horse.

"She seems to like you," Lenobia commented with a small smile gracing her lips. Patience jumped while holding a hand to her chest.

"I'm sorry, I know you said only clean but I was done before everyone else and-"Patience began but Lenobia stopped her.

"It's fine, though I'm a bit surprised that she even let you go near her," Lenobia said while studying the fully black horse who seemed as calm as ever if not calmer.

"Why's that?" Patience asked while continuing to brush the surprisingly affectionate horse.

"She usually has a tantrum when someone other than me comes near her but here you are brushing her," Patience smiled and pet the horse's head which made the horse lean into her hand for more petting. Lenobia stared slightly shocked but hid it with a smile, "I think I'll go and check on the others you should just continue brushing her, she seems to like it," Patience smiled and turned towards the horse who wanted more petting.

Once classes were over Patience asked Angel if the school had somewhere to dance and it did. Angel showed her where it was and instantly Patience fell in love with it what with it's beautiful mahogany floors, huge windows overlooking a lake with a forest behind it, strong wooden bars to hold the ballerinas along with mats for hip hop dancers when they do their tricks and the huge mirror that was most likely double sided that went along the whole wall. Oh she was in heaven. She quickly changed into loose clothing before going through the tracks until she found a song that she knew and began dancing to it.

watch?v=t-TZQZ2SIN4

Suddenly clapping filled her ears and instantly she stopped her dancing and faced the door to reveal the gang along with Aphrodite, Angel and Erik. Patience winced inwardly but kept her face composed and raised an eyebrow.

"How long were you watching?" She asked with her arms crossed, she hated it when people watched her dance especially since she thought she wasn't all that good.

"Since you started," Angel answered easily with a smirk on her face. Patience frowned but said nothing since she knew she wouldn't win an argument with Angel.

"You were amazing," Stevie-Rae said while giving her a big hug. The others agreed, even Aphrodite!

"You really think I was that good?" She asked unbelievingly.

"Yes!" Everyone screamed. Suddenly Angel stepped forward with a smirk on her face. Oh no.

"Did I mention that she sings as good as she dances possibly even better," she said which made everyone beg her to sing.

After five minutes of non-stop begging Patience finally gave in.

"Okay I'll sing," with that she began to sing her favourite song.

watch?v=tu812Bs_0RM

Everyone except Angel stood shocked and slack-jawed.

"Whoa," Zoey breathed with wide eyes.

"Is there anything you can't do?" Stevie-Rae asked still wide-eyed.

"Umm, perform in front of a lot of people and wear pink," the group burst into laughter before walking out of the room. Patience stopped in the doorway and stared into the room.

_I'm definitely coming here more often_, she thought before running after her friends whose laughter echoed of walls of the school


	5. Chapter 5

Things are supposed to go on as usual after a fledgling dies, but apparently it was unusual for two kids to die so close together, and everyone was unnaturally quiet for the rest of the day. Patience picked at her food deciding that she had lost her appetite the minute she saw that boy die.

"Why is Patience so upset about Elliott's death?" Zoey asked Angel with curiosity, "Not to be mean or anything I'm just curious," Zoey added quickly when Angel didn't say anything.

"Elliott was Patience's friend and if you're her friend you're stuck with her because she is loyal like that, that's why she also left with Elliott when he asked her to stay, she'll never turn her back on her friends, she'd prefer dying than being disloyal to her friends. Zoey nodded in understanding but still didn't know why. She didn't ask though and instead began picking at her increasingly cold food.

The Twins didn't even bicker with Damien, which might have been a nice change if they hadn't known the awful reason behind it. When Stevie Rae made some lame excuse to leave lunch early and go back to the room before fifth hour started in which Zoey was happy to follow so she could leave the depressing atmosphere that had been placed upon the students. Patience quickly jumped from her seat and followed the two with her usually bright and shining blue-green eyes downcast.

"No one liked Elliott, and somehow I think that makes it worse," Stevie Rae said as they walked along the dimly lit corridor,

"It was weirdly easier with Elizabeth. At least we could feel honestly sorry she was gone."

"I know what you mean. I feel upset, but I know I'm really upset that I saw what can happen to us and now I can't get it out of my mind, and not upset that the kid's dead." Zoey said while slightly trying to keep pace with the short-haired blonde.

"At least it happens fast," she said softly. Zoey shivered slightly catching Patience's attention. "I wonder if it hurts."

"It does," Patience finally spoke up, her voice dull with a hint of emotion. The two girls stopped and stared at her.

"How would you know, you're alive?" They both asked. Patience sighed and crossed her arms.

"You obviously weren't listening when I tried to get him to drink the liquid, anyway I know because my body almost did reject the change," The two girls eyes widened a fraction and motioned for her to continue. (I bet around here you're gonna go to the first chapter but it's not there) "When I first got marked I was in a crash, between then and when I was found by my aunt my body began to reject the change because of my weak state, it felt just as how I described it to Elliott, millions upon millions of knives piercing your body and just twisting around to get deeper into your flesh, I don't know how or why but Nyx saved me and for that I am thankful," Zoey and Stevie-Rae stared at Patience with eyes so wide saucers would be jealous.

"Whoa," was all Stevie-Rae said her mouth parted slightly in an O form. Zoey on the other hand was staring at Patience with scrutiny.

"That's impossible, you either change or you don't there is no in-between," she said though she sounded quite unsure, after all she could've sworn she saw Elizabeth no last name that fateful night.

"Like I said, I don't know why or how but Nyx saved me from my body rejecting the change, she obviously has something planned for me, you too Zoey otherwise your mark wouldn't be filled in like mine," with that Patience walked off with the two girls staring after her with bewildered looks on their faces. Patience decided to skip the rest of her classes already knowing the teachers would let her since she was top of all her classes.

She had decided to just brush Belle while she waited for the Dark Daughters ritual to come around. She entered the stables and automatically opened the first stall revealing the black mare in all its glory. She grabbed a curry brush from the side and began brushing the horse who would gently nudge her comfortingly. She pat the horse on the snout and got an idea. Without thinking Patience saddled Belle up and was on the horse's back within minutes. She needed a ride and Belle looked a little cramped in her stall. For the rest of the time all Patience did was ride with the hose underneath her, it's strong muscles moving underneath the layers of skin, its breaths short but determined for its rider to be pleased with its speed and strength.

They jumped over the obstacles with such grace riders would only dream about, it was as if the two were connected. Once Patience was sure the horse was ready she turned towards the most difficult obstacle, even Lenobia had trouble at times with it as her horse would get scared to jump and no matter how much soothing if the hose didn't want to jump it wouldn't.

"That one," Patience whispered in the horse's ear. It began to step backwards readying itself for a run up, "Easy," Patience said while her hand stroked the horse's mane, "Easy," she repeated while holding onto the reigns, the horse snorted and leaned down slightly to gain momentum for the jump "NOW!" Patience cried and immediately the horse responded with a extremely fast sprint.

At that moment Lenobia exited the stables, her platinum blonde hair in a high ponytail. Her eyes caught the two and almost gasped at the sight. Both horse and rider looked determined to do the obstacle but that wasn't what shocked the horse expert, what shocked her is that they made it. They made it with no hesitation whatsoever as if they both trusted each other to do that obstacle. Lenobia walked towards the two where Patience was giving the horse a huge smile along with a lot of petting.

"You know you can't take the horse's out of the stables without permission right?" She asked loud enough for the two to hear. Patience's head snapped towards Lenobia who had her arms crossed and a slight smirk on her face, "But I think if you didn't you wouldn't have had an amazing performance," she finished while uncrossing her arms and instead leaning on the wooden fence. Patience blushed and apologized profusely before saying thank you.

"I honestly don't know why Belle even let you put a saddle on her back let alone ride her," Lenobia commented with a curious look on her face. Patience shrugged with her hands still grasping the reigns. She then looked at the sky and gasped as she remembered that she had to go to the Dark Daughters

"I'll take her, you just go get ready for the Daughters," Patience thanked Lenobia and quickly sprinted to her dorm to get Changed. Patience raced to the Rec Hall and entered at the exact time that Zoey did, everyone stared at her with judgemental eyes, so she didn't like to wear dresses was that a crime?

"Nice dress, Zoey. It looks just like mine. Oh, wait! It used to be mine." Aphrodite laughed a throaty, I'm-so-grown-up-and-you're-just-a-kid laugh. Patience rolled her eyes and stepped in front of Aphrodite having to look down as she was a couple of inches taller.

"Leave her alone," she said with a deadly calm voice that scared Aphrodite.

"Or what?" She asked trying to act calm but her voice wavered the slightest bit barely noticeable if you weren't right in front of her

"I must say you look better than you did the last time I saw you." Patience said remembering catching a glimpse of Aphrodite having a vision while Zoey tried to understand what she was saying. Aphrodite turned pale and fear flickered in her eyes.

"She didn't mean that," Zoey butted in while grabbing Patience's arm. Aphrodite's face hardened,

"Fuck off, freak," she hissed. Then she laughed as though she'd just made a huge joke, turned her back and with a hateful flip of her hair walked to the middle of the rec hall. She raised one slim arm, and everyone who had been gawking at me now turned their attention (thankfully) to her. Tonight she had on an antique-looking red silk dress that fit her as if it had been painted on.

"A fledgling died yesterday, and then another one died today." Her voice was strong and clear, and sounded almost compassionate, which surprised the two girls and reminded them of Neferet. "We all knew both of them. Elizabeth had been nice and quiet. Elliott had been our refrigerator for the past several rituals." She smiled suddenly; it was feral and mean, and any resemblance she might have had to Neferet ended. "But they were weak, and vampyres do not need weakness in their coven." She shrugged her scarlet- covered shoulders. "If we were humans we'd call it survival of the fittest. Thank the Goddess we're not humans, so let's just call it Fate, and be happy tonight that it didn't kick any of our asses." Patience was disgusted with Aphrodite and was appalled when the other students agreed. "But enough gloom and doom," Aphrodite was saying. "It's Samhain! The night when we celebrate the end of the harvest season and, even better, it is the time when we remember our ancestors-all the great vampyres who have lived and died before us."

The tone of her voice was creepy, like she was getting into the show she was putting on way too much, and I rolled my eyes as she continued.

"It's the night when the veil between life and death is thinnest and when spirits are most likely to walk the earth." She paused and looked around the audience, being careful to ignore the two. Aphrodite raised her voice and shouted,

"So what are we going to do?"

"Go out!" the Dark Daughters and Sons yelled back. Aphrodite's laugh was way too sexual to be appropriate, and I swear she touched herself. Right there in front of everyone. Jeesh, she was nasty.

"That's right. I've chosen an awesome place for us tonight, and we even have a new little refrigerator waiting for us there with the girls." Patience's mouth watered slightly when Aphrodite mentioned blood but kept her cool and lazily looked around the Rec hall. Everyone was walking quietly to the wall behind the rec hall, which was too close to where I'd seen Elizabeth and Elliott for me to feel comfortable. And then, weirdly, the kids seemed to disappear into the wall. Patience slowly followed the student through the passageway. It was about four thirty A.M. Uh, no one was awake. Big surprise. It was weird to be walking through this really cool part of Tulsa-a neighbourhood filled with mansions built by old oil money-and have nobody notice.

It was as if they were shadows or ghosts. Everyone crossed the street and slid soundlessly between two yards, the sound running water in the background. Aphrodite climbed the stairs to take her place in the middle of the gazebo, which immediately sucked some of the magic and beauty from it. Naturally, Warlike, Terrible, and Wasp were there, too. Another girl was with them, who Patience didn't recognize. They'd set up a little table in the middle of the gazebo and draped it with black cloth. She could see that there were a bunch of candles on it, and some other stuff, including a goblet and a knife. Some poor kid was slumped with his head down on the table. A cloak had been pulled around him, so that it covered his body, and he looked a lot like Elliott on the night he'd been the refrigerator.

It must really take a lot out of a kid to have his blood drained for Aphrodite's rituals, and Patience wondered whether that had anything to do with bringing on Elliott's death. She blocked from her mind and focussed the fact that her mouth started watering when she thought about the kid's blood being mixed with the wine in the goblet. Weird how something could totally gross her out and make her want it really bad at the same time.

"I will cast the circle and call the spirits of our ancestors to dance within it with us," Aphrodite said. She spoke softly, but her voice travelled around the group like a poisonous mist. It was spooky to think about ghosts being drawn to Aphrodite's circle. This ritual was obviously something the Dark Daughters had been doing for a while. It couldn't be that scary or dangerous. Aphrodite played all big and cool, but it was an act. Underneath she was what all bullies are-insecure and immature. Also, bullies tended to avoid anyone tougher than them, so it was only logical that if Aphrodite was going to call spirits into a circle it meant that they were harmless, probably even nice.

Aphrodite was definitely not going to face down a big, bad, boogie monster. Patience started to relax into welcoming what was already becoming a familiar hum of power as the four Dark Daughters took candles that corresponded to the element they were representing, and then moved to the correct area of the mini-circle in the gazebo. Aphrodite summoned wind, and her hair lifted gently in a breeze that only she and Zoey could feel. She closed her eyes, loving the electricity that tingled across her skin. Actually, in spite of Aphrodite and the stuck-up Dark Daughters, she was already enjoying the beginning of the ritual. She opened her eyes and watched Aphrodite move around the circle. Each element sizzled through her. Then Aphrodite began the ritual of summoning of the ancestral spirits, neither Patience nor Zoey couldn't keep their attention from her.

She stood at the table, holding a long braid of dried grass over the purple spirit flame, so that it lit quickly. She allowed it to burn for a little while, and then blew it out. She waved it gently around her as she began to speak, filling the area with tendrils of smoke. Zoey and Patience sniffed, recognizing the scent of sweet grass, one of the most sacred of ceremonial herbs because it attracted spiritual energy. The two frowned and felt a tendril of worry. Sweet grass should be used only after sage has been burned to cleanse and purify the area; if not, it might attract any energy-and "any" didn't always mean good. But it was too late to say anything, even if they could have stopped the ceremony.

She had already begun calling to the spirits, and her voice had taken on an eerie, singsong quality that was somehow intensified by the smoke that curled thickly around her.

"On this Samhain night, hear my ancient call all you spirits of our ancestors. On this Samhain night, let my voice carry with this smoke to the Otherworld where bright spirits play in the sweet grass mists of memory. On this Samhain night I do not call the spirits of our human ancestors. No, I let them sleep; I have no need for them in life or in death. On this Samhain night I call magical ancestors- mystical ancestors-those who were once more than human, and who, in death, are more than human." Completely entranced everyone watched as the smoke swirled and changed and began to take on forms. Patience blinked her eyes to check if she was seeing things but she wasn't lucky and the smoke was in fact taking forms of some kind. There were people forming within the smoke. They were indistinct, more like the outlines of bodies than actual bodies themselves, but as Aphrodite continued to wave the sweet grass they grew more substantial, and then suddenly the circle was filled with spectral figures that had dark, cavernous eyes and open mouths.

Aphrodite put down the still-smoking grass and picked up the goblet. Even from where Zoey was watching, it seemed that she looked unusually pale, as though she had taken on some of the physical characteristics of the ghosts. Her red dress was almost painfully bright within the circle of smoke and gray and mist.

"I greet you, ancestral spirits, and ask that you accept our offering of wine and blood so that you may remember what it is to taste life." She lifted the goblet, and the smoky shapes churned and roiled with obvious excitement. "I greet you, ancestral spirits, and within the protection of my circle I-"

"Zo! I knew I'd find you if I tried hard enough!" Heath's voice sliced through the night, cutting off Aphrodite's words


	6. Chapter 6

"Heath! What in the hell are you doing here!"

"Well, you didn't call me back." Oblivious to everyone else, he hugged Zoey. You didn't need the bright light of the moon to see his bloodshot eyes.

"I missed you, Zo!" he blurted, wafting beer breath all over her. He finally caught sight of Patience who was standing next to Zoey.

"And you are?" He asked flirtingly.

"Not interested," Patience answered and stood beside Erik.

"Heath. You need to go-" Zoey began

"No. Let him stay," Aphrodite interrupted. Heath stared at her as if she were the goddess her name proved to be. But there was also the chance he noticed her big boobs.

"Get him out of here." Erik's voice was tight with worry. Heath tore his eyes from Aphrodite's boobs to glare at Erik.

"Who're you?" He asked with obvious jealousy. Patience zoned out but smirked at Zoey's obvious irritation with her ex.

"Come to me, human. Let me taste you." Aphrodite called to Heath. Totally entranced by her, Heath lurched forward without any hesitation. Zoey started yelling at him and he yelled back.

"If he refuses our summons, then we shall go to him." Everyone's head jerked up to see Aphrodite's body convulse as gray wisps seeped out of her. She let out a gasp that was a cross between a sob and a scream. The spirits, including the ones that had obviously been possessing her, rushed to the edge of the circle, pressing against it in an effort to break free and get to Heath.

"Stop them, Aphrodite. If you don't they'll kill him!" Damien shouted as he stepped out from behind an ornamental hedge that framed the pond.

"Damien, what-" Zoey began, but he shook his head.

"No time to explain," he told her quickly before turning his attention back to Aphrodite.

"You know what they are," he called up to her.

"You have to contain them in the circle or he'll die." Aphrodite was so pale she looked like a ghost herself. She moved away from the smoky shapes that were still trying to push against the invisible boundary of the circle, until she was pressed against one edge of the table.

"I won't stop them. If they want him, they can have him. Better him than me- or any of the rest of us," Aphrodite said.

"Yeah, we don't want any part of this kind of shit!" said Terrible before dropping her candle, which sputtered and went out. Without another word, she ran out of the circle and down the gazebo stairs. The other three girls who were supposed to be personifying the elements followed her lead, disappearing quickly into the night and leaving their candles overturned and unlit. Horrified, everyone watched as the grey shapes begin to melt through the circle. The smoke that was his spectral body began seeping down the stairs, reminding Patience of a snake as it slithered in their direction. Patience felt the Dark Daughters and Sons stir and glanced around her. They were nervously backing away, looks of fear twisting their faces.

"Wimps," Patience muttered obviously unaffected by the weird thing.

"It's up to you, Zoey and Patience."

"Stevie Rae!" the two girls exclaimed recognising the voice of their friend She was standing unsteadily in the middle of the circle. She'd thrown off the cape that had covered her, and I could see the white linen bandages on her wrists.

"I told you we needed to stick together." She smiled weakly at Zoey.

"Better hurry," Shaunee said.

"Those ghosts are scaring the shit right outta your ex," Erin said. Patience turned around and almost burst out laughing and she would've if this hadn't been a serious situation.

"Let's get this done," Patience said.

"Keep him here," Zoey told Erik, who was staring at the two with obvious shock. Without needing to look back to be sure their friends were following them, Patience and Zoey hurried up the steep stairs to the ghost-filled gazebo. When they reached the boundary of the circle they hesitated for a second. The spirits were slowly dissolving through it, their attention completely focused on Heath.

"You have no right to be here. This is my circle," Aphrodite said, pulling herself together enough to wrinkle her lip at them and block their way to the table and the spirit candle, which was the only one still lit.

"Was your circle. Now you need to shut up and move," Patience told her. Aphrodite narrowed her eyes at Patience.

"Bobble-head, you need to do what Patience says. I have been dying to kick the shit outta you for two years," Shaunee said, moving up to stand beside Patience.

"Me, too, you nasty ho bag," Erin said, stepping up to her other side. Before the Twins could pounce on her, Heath's scream shattered the night. everyone whirled around. Mist was crawling up Heath's legs, leaving long, thin tears in his jeans that instantly began to weep blood. Panicked, he was kicking and shrieking. Erik hadn't run away, but was hitting at the mist, too, even though whenever some of it stuck on him it ripped his clothes and tore open his skin.

"Fast! Take your places," Patience and Zoey yelled before the seductive smell of blood could mess with their concentration. Their friends ran to the deserted candles. Hastily they picked them up and waited in the proper positions. Zoey moved around Aphrodite, who was staring at Heath and Erik, with her hand pressed against her mouth as if to hold back her screams. Patience grabbed the purple candle and rushed over to Damien.

"Wind! I summon you to this circle," Zoey yelled as Patience touched the purple candle to the yellow one. She wanted to cry with relief when the familiar whirlwind suddenly sprang up, swirling around her body and lifting her hair crazily. Shielding the purple candle with her hand Patience ran to Shaunee.

"Fire! I summon you to this circle!" Zoey called. Heat flared with the whirling air as Patience lit the red candle. She didn't pause, but kept moving clockwise around the circle."Water! I summon you to this circle!" The sea was there, salty and sweet at the same time. "Earth! I summon you to this circle!" She touched the flame to Stevie Rae's candle, trying not to flinch at the bandages that covered her wrists. She was abnormally pale, but she grinned when the air filled with the scent of freshly cut hay. Heath screamed again, and the two rushed back to the center of the circle and lifted the purple candle. "Spirit! I summon you to this circle!" Energy sizzled into the two. They glanced around at the boundary of my circle and, sure enough, there was ribbon of power marking its circumference.

Then Zoey grabbed the goblet of bloody wine. She turned to face Heath and Erik and the ghostly horde.

"Here is your sacrifice!" she yelled, sloshing the liquid in the goblet in a messy arc around her, so that it made a blood-colored circle on the gazebo floor.

"You weren't called here to kill. You were called here because it's Samhain and we wanted to honor you." She spilled more wine, trying hard to ignore the seductive scent of fresh blood mixed with wine. The ghosts paused in their attack. Zoey focused on them, not wanting to distract herself with the terror in Heath's eyes and the pain in Erik's.

"We prefer this warm young blood, Priestess'." The eerie voice echoed up to the two, sending chills over their skin. Patience swallowed hard.

"I understand that, but those lives aren't yours to take. Tonight is a night for celebration, not for death."

"And yet we choose death-it is dearest to us." Ghostly laughter floated through the air with the tainted smoke of sweet grass, and the spirits began to converge again on Heath. Zoey threw down the goblet and raised my hands.

"Then I'm not asking anymore; I'm telling you. Wind, fire, water, earth, and spirit! I command in Nyx's name that you close this circle, pulling back to it the dead who have been allowed to escape. Now!" Patience and Zoey both called.

"With the power of the elements I command you: Go!" Suddenly, as though an invisible giant slapped them down, they dissolved into the wine-soaked floor of the gazebo, somehow absorbing the blood-tinged liquid and making it disappear with them. The two breathed a long, ragged sigh of relief. Automatically, They turned to Damien.

"Thank you, wind. You may depart." He started to blow out his candle, but didn't need to, a little puff of wind, which felt surprisingly playful, did it for him. Damien grinned at the girls. And then his eyes got huge and round.

"Zoey, Patience, your marks,"

"What?" Patience lifted her hand to her forehead. It tingled, as did her shoulders and neck, plus her whole body was still humming with the aftereffects of elemental power, so she hadn't even noticed it. His shocked look changed to happiness.

"Finish closing the circle. Then you can use one of Erin's many mirrors to see what's happened." Patience turned to Shaunee to say good-bye to fire.

"Wow...amazing," Shaunee said, staring at Patience.

"Hey, how did you know I have more than one mirror in my purse?" Erin was complaining from across the circle at Damien when Zoey turned to her and sent water away. Her eyes got big when she caught a good look at her, too. "Holy shit!" she said.

"Erin, you really shouldn't curse in a sacred circle. Y'all know it's not-" Stevie Rae was saying in her sweet Okie twang when Patience turned to say good-bye to earth, and her words were suddenly cut off as she gasped,

"Oh, my goodness!" She sighed. Hell, what now? She went back to the table and lifted the spirit candle.

"Thank you, spirit. You may depart," She said.

"Why?" Aphrodite stood up so abruptly that she knocked over the chair. Like everyone else, she was staring at Patience more than Zoey with a ridiculously shocked expression, "Why you? Why not me?"

"Aphrodite, what are you talking about now?"

"She's talking about this." Erin handed Patience a compact she pulled out of the chic leather purse she always had slung over her shoulder. She opened it and gasped. From Patience's side, Stevie Rae whispered,

"It's beautiful..." And she realized she was right. It was beautiful. Her Mark had been added to. A delicate swirl of lace-like black (yes black not blue) tattooing framed her blue-green eyes. Not as intricate and large as an adult vamp, but unheard of in a fledgling. She let her fingers trace the curling design, thinking that it looked like something that should decorate the face of an exotic foreign princess...or maybe the High Priestess of a goddess.

She gave Zoey the compact mirror only to see the same pattern but in blue like it should be.

"And that's not all. Look at your shoulder," Damien said softly. Patience took off her loose shirt to reveal a singlet top, she felt a jolt of shock surge through her body. Her shoulder was tattooed, too. Stretching from her neck, down her shoulder and back, were onyx tattoos in a swirling pattern much like that on her face, only the black marks on her body looked even more ancient, even more mysterious, because they were interspersed with letter-like symbols. Her mouth opened, but words wouldn't come out.

"Why is mine black? Even my coloured in mark is black," everyone shrugged which got her slightly annoyed. Everyone gasped and stared at her marks.

"What?" She asked becoming a little more calm.

"Your marks just changed colour," Patience looked down at her marks and sure enough they were black with a tint of red. "Well I'll be damned," she muttered. Patience watched with a proud smile as Zoey stood up to Aphrodite who looked like she was going to blow a casket. Suddenly arms draped over her shoulders diverting her attention from the group. She turned her head to face none other than Angel.

"Where've you been all night?" She asked wrapping an arm around her un-biological twin sister's waist.

"I was watching," she answered simply. Patience nodded and turned towards the group just in time to hear Aphrodite's last words.

"You stupid bitch, you can't just take over the Dark Daughters. Only a High Priestess can change their leadership."

"Convenient, then, that I am here, isn't it?" Neferet said


	7. Chapter 7

Neferet stepped from the shadows and into the gazebo, moving quickly to Heath and Erik. First, she touched Erik's face and checked the bloody slash marks on his arms from where he'd struggled futilely to try to pull the ghosts off Heath. As she passed her hands over his wounds you could actually see the blood drying. Erik breathed a sigh of relief, like his pain had disappeared.

"These will heal. Come to the infirmary when we get back to school and I'll give you some salve that will lessen the sting from your wounds." She patted his cheek and which made him blush bright red, "You showed the bravery of a vampyre warrior when you stayed to protect the boy. I am proud of you, Erik Night, as is the Goddess."

Murmurs of agreement made everyone realize that the dark sons and daughters had finally returned. Patience's mark flashed red with what looked like anger scaring the sons and daughters shitless. Neferet turned her attention to Heath; she lifted the torn legs of his jeans and examined the bloody marks there and on his arms. Then she cupped his pale, rigid face in her hands and closed her eyes. Everyone watched his body stiffen even more and convulse, and then he sighed and, like Erik, he relaxed. After a moment, he looked like he was sleeping peacefully instead of fighting silently against death. Still on her knees beside him, Neferet said,

"He will recover, and he will remember nothing of this night except that he got drunk and then lost trying to find his ex-almost-girlfriend." She looked up at Zoey as she said the last of it, her eyes kind and filled with understanding.

"Thank you," Zoey whispered.

Neferet nodded slightly to the teen, before she stood to confront Aphrodite.

"I am as responsible for what happened here tonight as you are. I have known for years of your selfishness, but I chose to overlook it, hoping that age and the touch of the Goddess would mature you. I was wrong." Neferet's voice took on the clear, powerful quality of a command, "Aphrodite, I officially release you from your position as leader of the Dark Daughters and Sons. You are no longer in training for High Priestess. You are now no different than any other fledgling." With one swift movement, Neferet reached out, grasped the silver and garnet necklace of rank that dangled between Aphrodite's breasts, and tore it from her neck.

Aphrodite didn't make a sound but her face showed anger for Neferet.

The High Priestess turned her back on Aphrodite and approached Zoey completely ignoring Patience.

"Zoey Redbird, I knew you were special from the day Nyx let me foresee that you would be Marked." She smiled at Zoey and put a finger under her chin, lifting her head so that she could get a better look at the new addition to her Mark. Then she brushed her hair aside so that the tattoos that had appeared on her neck, shoulders, and back could also be seen. She heard the Dark Daughters and Sons gasp as they, too, got their first look at her unusual Marks.

Patience stayed quiet during the whole conversation but her face also showed anger for Neferet.

"Extraordinary, truly extraordinary," she breathed, letting her hand fall back to her side as she continued. "Tonight you showed the wisdom of the Goddess's choice in gifting you with special powers. You have earned the position of Leader of the Dark Daughters and Sons and High Priestess in training, through your Goddess-given gifts as well as through your compassion and wisdom." After that all Patience remembered was Neferet hand the necklace to Zoey and Zoey having a goofy look on her face.

Everyone started to make their way back to school but Patience held back waiting till everyone was far enough away. She tucked a piece of hair behind her ears and gasped. It wasn't her mark that scared the sons and daughters, her hair had changed colour along with her mark.

Once Neferet was by herself Patience grabbed the woman's shoulder and turned her so she was facing the teen. She stared into the woman's green eyes and glared.

"I know you're up to something, I can feel it, you better watch out," with that Patience left with Neferet staring after her with glares like daggers.

As Patience came to the bridge she saw the group hugging, she cocked her hip and pushed her hair back.

"We I'm obviously not invited to this so I guess I should leave," she overdramatically flipped her hair and fake sobbed.

"Come here you buffoon!" Angel called from beside Damien. Patience grinned and joined the hug with her friends. Everyone stepped out of the hug only for Shaunee and Damien bicker about whether or not they should have pizza or sandwiches.

Patience smiled and told the group that she wanted pizza.

Unknown to everyone someone was watching them. They watched the group bicker with a small smile before disappearing into the woods.

Patience turned to the bushes that had suddenly rustled but she saw no one there, she shrugged.

_Must've been the wind___

Next Chapter should be the start of Betrayed


End file.
